The NBA Finals just ended, but because the season finished so late thanks to COVID-19, it’s already mock-trade season on the internet. The Athletic joined in yesterday with several hypotheticals, but there was one involving the Hawks and Pelicans that caught my eye.
William Guillory, a Pelicans beat writer for The Athletic, was doing a mailbag and was asked how the Pelicans could use their draft pick (10th overall) to acquire some more experienced help that can help them win now, which is where the Hawks became involved. Guillory suggested the Pelicans inquire about upcoming third year guard, Cam Reddish.
The phenomena around Cam Reddish is a funny one. Nobody wants to acknowledge that he’s a very valuable piece, yet every opposing team wants to include them in their mock trades.
Guillory doesn’t say anything fundamentally wrong by mentioning Reddish’s inconsistent offensive numbers and injury issues early in his career, but he downplays just how potentially valuable Reddish could be in the near future. Around NBA circles and amongst players, Reddish is viewed as supremely talented. He’s going on seven feet tall with a crazy long wingspan and can handle and shoot like a guard. His coming out party during the Eastern Conference is just a glimpse of his potential, and Nate McMillan even compared him to Paul George. I’m not saying Reddish is 100% guaranteed to become an All-Star, but if we woke up in five years, and he was one of the best 20 players in the world, I don’t think too many people would be surprised.
Cam Reddish has two-way star potential as early as next year. You can’t find that in the draft, and the Hawks are way closer to winning now than the Pelicans. The only way I see the Hawks dealing Reddish is for a much more proven player that could potentially put them over the top next season.
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